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Aviation History
1942
1942 - 2370.PDF
530 FLIGHT NOVEMBER 12TH, 1942 FINDING NIGHT TARGETS Flare System Employed by the Russians : Specialised Illuminators : Blinding Searchlights and A. A. Guns By LT. COL. A. GORYEV (Russian Air Force) ON a dark night a Soviet bomber approaches a large enemy airdrome where earlier reconnaissance has revealed a concentration of aircraft. Within two minutes the Soviet aircraft should appear exactly over the objective and drop parachute flares. This will enable our bombers, which should follow in precisely timed relays, to aim their bombs with the maximum of effect. Two minutes passed and the darkness of the night was lit up by the dazzling light of flares. From above, the outlines of the airdrome, hangars and aircraft lined up along the edge of the field could be distinctly seen. The Germans immediately opened a furious fire at the Soviet aircraft and succeeded in extinguishing the flare. The crew dropped a second flare and again the Germans fired at it intensively. The Germans fired franctically, but flare after flare continued to drop into the black abyss of the night. This duel between the Soviet " illuminator air craft" and German anti-aircraft defence continued until Soviet bombers arrived on the scene. Taking advantage of the brilliantly lit target they released their bombs, and leaving behind them a vast conflagration caused by the burning German aircraft, returned to their bases. Illuminator Aircraft The hardest task in night bombing is to find the objective and to register direct hits. To achieve this, both pilots and navigators of Soviet night bombers devote considerable creative thought and careful study to the results of each raid. Oui air unit paid considerable attention to the prob lem of illuminating targets and tried various methods until the most efficient one was found. Originally each crew took one parachute flare and dropped it upon reaching the target. Then it turned and tame back to release its bombs. Experience has shown, however, Lhat this method has its defects. If circum stances were such that the bomber had to prolong the time for manoeuvring for position, it came too late to benefit fully by the flare which would already be dying down, and the navigator would have to release his bombs almost in darkness. It was therefore decided to detail the task of dropping parachute flares to a special aircraft. The aircraft flew at a given altitude and dropped flares at an appointed time, it being so calculated that the target should be lit up ' exactly when bombers flying in the rear arrived to release their loads on their objective. This demands extreme pre cision, not only from the illuminator crews (as they are called in the Soviet Air Force), but also from bombers whose duty it is to reach the target punctually on time. Indeed, this method was found to be most effective. Tactical Use of Flares Yet another method was developed by our night bomber units. Let us assume that a group of aircraft has set out to bomb an objective. On reaching the target the leading aircraft drops a flare and proceeds to bomb. Succeeding bombers each drop a flare in succession. In other words, the first aircraft utilises the light of its own flare, while the succeeding ones, following one after another, each illuminate the target for the next by dropping the flare after their release of bombs. This method has one defect, since owing to the differences of aim there is an extreme diffusion of light. Illuminator crews are selected from pilots most experi enced in night flying. They must be very persistent and be able to cope with all kinds of difficulties, and must know how to find their way about under most complicated con ditions. The success of the bomb aimers will largely depend on the precision with which the illuminator crew does its job. Even a slight miscalculation in releasing flares may complicate the work of the bombers and lead to a complete failure of the operation. To. illustrate this point it is best to quote an instance from our experience. A crew commanded by Pilot Bon- darev was ordered to illuminate a certain target. The air craft arrived at the objective and dropped a couple of flares exactly at the predetermined time. To the astonish ment of the airmen it illuminated the town, but not in the desired way. The navigator then dropped a* third flare, but this one, too, was carried far to one side. The result was that only the outskirts of the town were illu minated and even that not very "effectively. It appeared, that the navigator- in making his calculations failed to allow for the force of the wind. In consequence the bombers released their bombs upon their arrival over the illuminated target and the results were far from satisfac tory. As a rule the Germans protect their important targets with heavy anti-aircraft batteries and searchlights. Often night bombers encounter several scores of searchlights arranged in groups. The most powerful one of them tries to catch the aircraft in its beam and not to let it go until less powerful searchlights focus, on it, and anti-aircjraft batteries open fire. But Soviet bomber pilots have found a way to baffle enemy searchlights by blinding their crews. This is done in the following manner: When approaching an objective the aircraft drops flares calculated to burn at certain definite heights and at different levels. Flares gradually descend, emitting brilliant light, which not only dazzles the searchlight crews but also considerably reduces the effectiveness of anti-aircraft batteries. Meanwhile our bombers calmly proceed with their job. Flag Navigators The Germans often try to deceive our pilots by placing their searchlights at some distance from the target, ener getically ploughing the skies to throw our pilots off their track. This demands, both from the illuminator and the bomber crews, extreme vigilance and ability to detect the target under any conditions. Naturally, the problem of bombing enemy positions, rail way stations, communications, and other important objec tives at night is not entirely solved by illuminator air craft. A thorough training in navigation is required of . every member of the crew, and considerable attention if-ir given to this subject by pilots of our bomber units. The '' flag'' navigator of a unit always demands that navigators of each bomber should be thoroughly familiar with the zone of action, the characteristic landmarks, rivers, lakes, highways, railways, enemy strongholds, etc. The knowledge of landmarks is a great help in reaching the objective, for once vou have found your landmark you will find the target. Having found the main landmark vou pass to lesser ones. On the other hand, if you lose sight of your main landmarks, your job becomes extremely complicatt d. A thorough study of the objective itself is also highly important. A minute examination of photographs ami charts of the objective before taking off is of great help. It even happens that conditions completely change J during the flight—the target becomes concealed by clouds —which makes exact aiming almost impossible. In that case the target has to be reached by dead reckoning. The pilot must be able to fly blind in cloud and to adhere
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